"NOAA's Office of Coast Survey has announced a new website - www.stormsurge.noaa.gov - designed to provide vital information to help protect communities, people and property from the devastation of coastal flooding.

Coastal flooding is often the greatest threat to life and property during and after storms. Floods damage roads and bridges, destroy homes and businesses, and cause injuries and death to those in harm's way. These floods are caused by storm surge - the rise in water level caused a severe storm's wind, waves, and pressure. Storm surge can flood large coastal areas, reaching cities and communities miles inland.

"NOAA's meteorologists and oceanographers observe coastal conditions and predict when storm surge may occur," said Jesse Feyen, a storm surge expert with NOAA's Office of Coast Survey. "This website gives people important information to help them prepare for storm surge. With this advance understanding and knowledge, people will know how to respond to coastal flooding from a storm."

The new website is one of several that NOAA provides to promote public safety when severe weather strikes.  Others include NOAA QuickLook - which provides current water levels along the coasts during severe storms including hurricanes, as well as NOAA's all-hazards website, NOAA Watch.

NOAA's Office of Coast Survey has been the nation's nautical chartmaker for two centuries. Coast Survey provides nautical charts, hydrographic data, navigational assistance, and coastal observations to help position America for the future.

NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook, Twitter and our other social media channels."